After the UK joined the Common Market in 1973, a 17.5% sanitary tax was introduced. It was justified when Parliament classified sanitary products as “non-essential, luxury” items. In 2000, this was reduced to 5% tax, but this still outraged many people as menstruation is not a choice, people cannot help but have a period. So this extra money they had to pay was unfair, especially as items such as helicopters and exotic meats such as crocodiles and kangaroos do not have this tax applied to them, meaning they are considered essential.
In January 2016, the Treasury voted to abolish the tax on sanitary products after the petition reached 320,000+ supporters.
" Not using sanitary products can lead to health risks, jeopardise maintaining a normal, professional or personal life, and result in public ridicule. Equally, by using sanitary products, our Government capitalises on misogynist discourse and period shame that has caused us to fear our own menstrual cycles. It’s a double-edged sword that cuts women on both sides. "I think the most interesting element of this project was the effect that multiple people had on influencing the decision of the government. Organised by one person, the petition generated a lot of news coverage and triggered changes such as Tesco dropping prices of their sanitary products to shoulder the tax instead of the general public. The amount of people who were affected by the campaign and were able to contribute towards this massive change to the law just by signing their name is amazing and shows the effect a social and collaborative campaign can have to trigger a change.
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